Red Dress Display at Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School

When designing the installation, staff and students wanted to make sure that it was both reflective and powerful. They researched and examined the work of Jaime Black who was the original creator of this initiative. As the dresses were collected from staff it was also important to represent the stories of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2-Spirit peoples, and therefore each dress is accompanied with a personal message from their family members. It was important to include all the names of those missing and murdered and thus, each name was written and included in the installation as well. We hope that by having this displayed at the front entrance of the school we here at Father Leo J Austin can grow and become more informed on the MMIWG2S+ crisis within Canada.

This week, students and staff will also be wearing red shirts to show we are all willing to learn and become allies in this fight against injustice.